Soccer as a turbo?

Shirts, beer, potato chips: Where EM made cash registers ring

In one day, 1700 jerseys of the ÖFB team (here Sabitzer in action) were sold. The Nike shoes worn by Ronaldo (seen here sitting) were also in demand.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/REUTERS, Mario Urbantschitsch, EPA)

Austria's performances in the preliminary rounds and its place in the last sixteen caused a wave of euphoria throughout the country during the European Football Championship. Shared TV evenings here, public viewing crowds there - but was the retail sector also able to get in on the excitement surrounding the round leather?

For a few days, everything revolved around where you would sit in front of the TV or whether you would rather watch the match at a public viewing or directly in the stadium: the performances of Austria's footballers at the European Championships in Germany caused a wave of euphoria.

A EURO like this is basically a social event. People like to watch in groups, with friends. Cuisine and drinks always play an important role.

Patrick Moser, Prokurist Starzinger-Gruppe

But could the retail sector also benefit from the frenzy surrounding the round leather? A Krone survey paints a mixed picture. While the food discounter Hofer, which operates from Sattledt, reported a significant increase in sales of beer, soft drinks, potato chips and snacks in recent weeks, Spar Upper Austria found "no particular spikes in certain product groups".

How did the European Championships go? We also asked Thorsten Schmitz (Intersport Austria/l.), Holger Schwarting (Sport 2000 Austria) and Patrick Moser (Starzinger Group/r.).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Sport 2000/Wizany, Starzinger/Russkäfer, Intersport Austria)

It was a different story at the Starzinger Group from Frankenmarkt, where authorized signatory Patrick Moser was delighted: "In the first two weeks of July, we sold about as much at Schartner Bombe as we did in the whole of July last year."

Despite the enthusiasm, the European Championships only had a minor impact on our retailers' business.

Holger Schwarting, Vorstand Sport 2000 Österreich

"The European Championships were clearly a driver of footfall in retail," emphasizes Intersport Austria boss Thorsten Schmitz. As a partner of the ÖFB, the sporting goods retailer from Wels also operates the official fan store of the Austrian national team. Schmitz reports that there was a particular tussle over scarves and jerseys.

1700 ÖFB team jerseys in just one day
"On the day of the match against the Netherlands, we sold 1700 national team jerseys. We've never done that before." Schmitz reports an euphoria for the national team that was "contagious": "It triggered a real run on fan merchandise."

Holger Schwarting, CEO of Sport 2000 Austria, recognized an increased demand for the pink Nike shoes that Cristiano Ronaldo wore at the tournament in Germany. He speaks of a euphoria for soccer that was palpable throughout the European Championships and hopes that "the enthusiasm will continue in the long term".